Processing firewood with tree loppers. A test.

I did some hedge work yesterday and got enough small sticks to do a firewood cutting test. I often take branches down to quite small firewood, in order to reduce the number of loads taken to the branch dump.

I'm using large Fiskars loppers. The ones with a gear that multiplies the force on the cutting blade. Whenever I have large amounts of fairly large sticks , I don't hold the tool with both hands. Instead, I put one of the rubber hand holds against the pavement, braced with my foot. This allows fairly large material to be cut by simply bearing down on the other handle. Much easier than the serious peck workout which occurs when loppers are held in two hands.

The pile of wood was enough to fill the large garbage can pictured. There were 139 pieces ranging from three quarters of an inch 2 one and three quarter inch diameter.

More or less what I have always done. I have both willows and ashtrees that I pollard for small firewood. Have a very small fire place in my bedroom, will only take that kind of small size wood.
Have always used my loppers in that way, as you say, much les effort.

I have a pair of them! One of the best buys I've made...I used to struggle to cut with the regular ones after using for awhile, with these it's hard to get me to stop

"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi

Dale Hodgins

gardener

Posts: 7592

Location: Victoria British Columbia-Canada

494

posted 2 years ago

I always use them in a manner that allows the cut to be opened by gravity. If turned over the other way, the weight of the wood tends to close the cut. Not so important when processing firewood, but very important when cutting branches that are leaning hard in one direction.

Always lop wood on the day that it is cut. Wood cuts easiest during a light rain. For really tough stuff, I sometimes dip my loppers in the used deep fryer oil that is normally reserved for my chainsaws and hedge cutters. It's free.